ADULT READING, WRITING AND NUMERACY ILLITERACY
A fascinating new study, using findings based on studies dating from the 1970s which looked at 17,000 British children’s reading, writing and numeracy difficulties are still at a disadvantage nearly 40 years on. The study, carried out by the National Research Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, identifies where and when illiteracy and innumeracy issues begin, and illustrates how, without intervention, the problem becomes exponentially worse, as a person gets older.
Interview with the author of the report, Professor John Bynner, Professor of Social Sciences in Education from the Institute for Education.
Reporter, Anna Bailey visited a London college to ask some of the adult learners when their problems started.
STAGGERED COLLEGE DAYS
The Hugh Christie Technology College in Kent introduced a "staggered day" last September, when a new school building was devised with 20% less space. The college also took note of research that found that teenagers’ body clocks are more effective for learning later in the day.
Interview with the principal, Jon Barker about the impact of these changes.
SELF DEFENCE CLASSES FOR TEACHERS
Today, the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has announced a violent crime action campaign in the latest stage of the government’s efforts to counter violent youth crime.
Stories of vicious assaults on teachers are becoming ever more common. The growing American-style claims culture has left many teachers unsure what their rights are and the legal situation if they confront potentially violent pupils. Yorkshire community police officer, Sean O’Connor, is running self-defence classes for teachers. Caroline Swinburne sat in on the introductory lesson to give teachers some practical skills and the confidence to deal with attacks or intimidation.
TEACHERS AND THE LAW
Can a teacher be sued if a child traps a finger in a classroom door? What if a teacher puts a sympathetic arm around a pupil’s shoulder but then is accused of misconduct by the parents? The legal pitfalls for teachers are a minefield and it is not always easy to know what the regulations are for each specific incident. Kim Insley, a tutor at the Institute of Education, joins Libby to discuss her new book, Teachers and the Law, which she hopes will fill in some of the information gaps for teachers and trainee teachers where legal matters are concerned..
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